The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-07-09
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HOW A BIG CITY Is FED.
About $1,000, 900 n Day Spent for Food
by New Workers.

HOW A BIG CITY Is FED.
About 1000, 900 Day spent for Food
by New Workers.
From the N. J.. Times.
From figures furnished by representa-
tive butchers of New York, it is estimated
that one-third of the staple fresh food con-
sumed in this great city consists of beef.
1t is the meat of the people as whale, seal
and such meat is the food of the Esqui-
maux. Nearly 10000 head of cattle are
slaughtered weekly to the end of furnish
ing New York alone with this single variety
of meat. The stock is sent here on the
hoof, or rather in cars and butchered soon
after its arrival Taking 800 pounds as
fair average of the weight of a bullock, it
is found that the consumption Of beef alone
in this city is something like 100000
pounds per week, or four pounds for each
inhabitant. Most Of the beef that finds a
market in this city comes from the great
stock yards in Chicago and the ranches in
Montana, and gives faint idea of the
vastness of the Western country, where
the stock is raised. The meat is brought
here in refrigerator cars, ready dressed and
cut for the different markets that here
abound. The choicest stock goes to the
large hotels, restaurants and "gilt-edge"
butchers, while the less desirable carcasses
are sent to those places where the price is
of more Importance than its quality. The
return from the sale of beef alone in New
York is placed at Sl,500,00O per week.
Lamb, mutton, veal, pork, game and fowl
bring in the same space Of time twice that
amount.
While the esculent celery plant on the
Long Island and New Jersey farms is
growing and waiting for the frost to ma
ture it, the great Northwest sends its pro-
ducts eastward The cold weather is felt
in Michigan, Minnesota and other places
in the same latitude long before it is in
this locality, and those vegetables requiring
frost to develop them find market here
in advance of the season, Potatoes come
by the carloads from the West, while the
farmers of Long Island and New Jersey
keep New York pretty well supplied with
produce from the kitchen garden. About
Que thousand loads of garden stuff are
consumed in New York every day. The
gardeners begin to arrive in the city about
4 o'clock in the afternoon and continue to
come until and the next morning. A
fair average for a load of vegetables of this
kind is said to be about S35. This would
make the consumption of garden stuff"
in New York amount to $50, 600 day.
Early vegetables are brought here from
Bermuda and the South, and command
good prices.
There is no doubt that 100000 pounds
Of butter Is consumed in New York every
day, and perhaps more, This, of course;
includes the oleomagarine sold instead of
the real article, as well as the finer quail
ties, for which s1.50 pound is not an
uncommon price, Accepting 100000 as
the daily consumption, and placing its cost
at twenty cents, the total cost per day for
this article alone amounts to SG0,000. Most
Of the butter used In New York is made
within 400 miles of the city, and if an OK
ception is made for milk it is about the
only food product that does not come from
the South, the West, or across the seas.
Milk is another important product and
is used in New York in immense quanti-
ties Every railroad centeripg in this city
has one or more milk trains that arrive
between twelve o'clock midnight and 5
o'clock in the morning Taking forty
quarts as the average quantity contained in
each can, it is found that New York con-
sumes daily 554, $40 quarts of milk, 6,920
quarts Of condensed milk and 10, 400 quarts
of cream. Taking six cents as fair aver
age price for milk and twenty-five cents a
fair average price for condensed milk and
cream, the consumption Of this one article
of food in single day is more than s40,.
600, to say nothing Of the condensed milk
that comes from Switzerland and other
places, which is also largely used.
Not the least important of the food pro-
duct are eggs. Most of them come from
Holland and Germany, the West and from
Canada, although considerable quantity
are received daily from points near by,
The average weekly consumption of this
class of food is estimated at about 10000
dozen, or an amount equal to $4,000. One
of the curious features known Of the pro-
vision business Is that Dutch aud German
eggs get to New York oftentimes sooner
than those shipped from ex-President
Hayess memories in Ohio A year or so
ago vessel from Holland caught fire off
Bedloes Island, and in the fire over 100,- |
900 dozen of eggs we're roasted. This
gives some idea of the enormous business
done in this one article of food,
Food with fms Is IN great demand, and
the fish trade is one of the most important |
to the end of supplying New York with
food, There are less than thirty kinds OF
fish that find a ready sale, The fish market
centre is at the foot of Fulton street, and
includes Oregon salmon, Maine smelts and
Florida pompano. All these varieties,
however, are high-priced and are sold only
to epicures and persons of means. Mack
erel, haddock, cod, halibut, bluefish, and
bass are the staples in the fish line, and no
matter what the condition of the weather
can always be found fresh on the fish
market stalls. This Is made possible by
putting all the fish that are brought TO New
York alive in floating 6shways, where they
are kept alive until wanted for market
Another means of insuring fresh supply
is the refrigerating process, aplan like unto
that employed to bring dressed meats from
the big abattoirs of the West. Most of
New York's fresh fish supply comes from
Boston, Gloucester and other points in New
England It is estimated that 100000
pounds per week is not too high figure at
which to place the fish consumption of New
York, and this does not include oysters,
Holsters, clans and other shell-fsh. "Itis
safe to place the figures at $4,000 per
week if you want to represent the value of
the fish eaten in this city every week,
said Fulton Market dealer to the writer.
These figures are based on an average of
ten cents per pound, but when the prices
Of fancy fish are taken Into consideration
it is fair to believe the average is much